Press Releases

With growing concern over climate change and the recent global financial melt-down, the unveiling of National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) by the Government of India has provided a formal platform to implement pan-Indian programmes to combat climate change. TERI- BCSD (Business Council on Sustainable Development) members, a group of 82 motivated and environmentally conscious renowned corporate houses met HE Mr Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General along with Dr R K Pachauri, Director- General TERI and Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), to discuss the corporate initiatives undertaken by the TERI Business Council to reduce the impact of climate change to enhance their efforts towards a more sustainable path of production and consumption.

TERI BCSD recently launched a national-wide major initiative to bring out a clear definition of actions by business and industry, which will facilitate the development of specific policies and augment the implementation of the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC).

Addressing the gathering, HE Mr Ban Ki-moon said, "It is a pleasure to begin my official visit by meeting TERI BCSD India members and Dr R K Pachauri who is a great asset to the UN and has made India proud with his leadership and inexhaustible work on tackling climate change. There is an urgent need to develop a strong tri- lateral partnership between the UN, corporate and the civil society. With the growing relevance to clean and alternative sources of energy, I feel that private sector will play a prominent role by coming up with economically viable solutions to harness eco- friendly technologies and make it commercially viable. The â€˜Caring for Climateâ€™ is a major initiative introduced by the UN where corporate actively participate that includes many Indian companies and business houses from the developing world. They pool money to create technologies, share knowledge and work with a firm belief that the profit can be made through environmental friendly practices that will help in the growth of the economy."

Talking about Indiaâ€™s role the Secretary General, added, "I see India as a potential leader in this field and urge the TERI BCSD India members to come up with innovative solutions to fight climate change. I believe that developing nations have an enormous role and I will do anything to protect the poor who are most vulnerable to the affects of climate change. From crisis, new bonds forge, and our priority is to attain a sustainable living."

Reiterating the urgency to combat climate change by the business sector, Dr. R.K. Pachauri, who is also the President of TERI BCSD India, said, "The Secretary General is a remarkable leader who has done exponential work on climate change. I am happy that he views climate change as the most defining challenge of our age and is working very hard towards propagating sustainable development." Talking about TERI and BCSD India he added, "TERI is a unique organisation working with the corporate, researchers and the civil society that generates its own resources towards achieving sustainable development. We are a part of WBCSD (World Business Council on Sustainable Development), a body of conscious industry leaders who are working towards combating climate change. I am delighted that we have seen a tremendous increase in the awareness on this issue in India and the media is actively reporting on climate change."

A need to develop a multi-disciplinary workforce, including industry, academicians, government and media, to address and act on the implications of climate change on businesses today, came out strongly in the discussion. The goal of this TERI-BCSD India initiative is to submit a white paper to the Prime Ministerâ€™s council by December 2008, which may well be identified as the corporate action plan for the NAPCC.